Forum Help

If you want to ask about changing your username, have login problems, have password problems or a technical issue please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com

Posting help:

If you want to ask why a word can't be typed, your signature's been changed, or a post has been deleted see the Forum Rules. If you don't find the answer you can ask forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com though due to volumes we can't guarantee replies.

Pour yourself a cuppa and pull up a chair, I can't half talk when I get going!

After nearly a year rambling on, I've decided it's high time to start a sparkly brand new diary to step up to a whole load of new adventures

A little bit about myself briefly (there's more at the start of the old thread)... I'm 31, live with Mr Daffs (Rock Star Boyfriend), and work full time - 2 days of which involve a 4 hour round commute, and the other 3 days involve walking upstairs to the attic

I've spent most of my life *not* working full time, and I intend to get straight back to *not* working full time in one job as soon as this contract's over I absolutely adore my job, but I like to do lots of other things too - what I want is a beautifully varied PatchworkLife

So... in order to do that, I need a money-related plan (so I don't become reliant on full time work), and a cheery skills-and-cheery-things plan

I don't have any debt any more (hooray! ), but I also don't have much in the way of savings either

So - here's the overall plan:

* £10,000 in patchwork living fund by December 2012
* decent emergency fund just in case
* plenty of little weekends away
* enough to pay annual bills without scrabbling around

(I should point out that I do MUCH better at things when I follow instructions and have other people to encourage me, or somewhere to go each week etc, so lots of this is based around that!)

In no particular order.....
* our house is gorgeous, but it is also full of TOO MUCH STUFF, and I must confess to not thinking housework is awfully interesting.. Flylady has worked for me in the past, and so she shall be turned to again. My sink has been shined, and I am eagerly awaiting the next instructions

* the garden is currently mid-project and resembles a building site. Lots of plans - but since none of them involve spending much money, they all tend to happen pretty slowly...

* I am getting rather podgy and slovenly I gave up Slimming World for very good reason a while back, but I have to admit it works, so tail between my legs, I am going back I am also entering a triathlon in the autumn - it's worked before scaring me into doing plenty of exercise, so it shall work again (this will also involve learning to swim again...)

* I'm a great believer in doing daft things just for the sake of it now and again And so my end-of-PhD present to myself was trapeze lessons I've been putting these off...

* I've been getting rather-tooooooo-used to a full time wage of late... this is NOT part of the long term plan, so spending diaries will be turned to once again, and matters brought firmly in hand!

* I generally have a goals list for each month, and also 3 months and 6 months. That's been working well for a couple of years now, so I will post those at the start of each month, and let you know how I've done at the end

I like the sound of that, Cheery - particularly the not-having-a-full-time-job aspect. I may need to take a leaf from your book. Or a page, rather!

Right, I'm loving all this, but I have no right to be here: I have tons of homework due for Wednesday, and I've done nothing since coming home from work at 6 pm.

I'm going downstairs for another glass of Coke and then I will be working at 9. I have to report back to you here on our new thread to let you know how much I got done tonight. Get your stern face on, Cheery!

Please call me 'Pickle'No More Buying Books: ???No More Buying DVDs: ???NMB Toiletries ??? and I've gone back for my Masters at the University of Use Ups!Proud to be dealing with her debts 1198~

Ohhh I'm not caught up on the other thread yet! (although I have kept an eye on your blog )

I'm off to get a giant mug of tea and finish catching up on the old thread so I'm ready for this one!

Good luck with all your plans, I really need to get my a$$ in to gear and make my own! I have learned my lesson in not buying wokout dvd's that a) are recommended on here and b) have shred in the title!!

Hanb, ignore the other thread, it's just waffling on anyway, why not just start afresh on this one! And get that Shred out! I shall be doing the same thing

15 minutes at a time Pickle! But don't go checking in here every 15 minutes

I've been and checked the Slimming World website - I won't be able to make the same group every week because of work, but there's 2 groups both Mondays and Wednesdays within walking distance, and I always work at home at least one of those days (and they're both run by the same person) so I really don't have any excuse.

And of course, Monday is tomorrow... So no chance of talking myself out of it by Wednesday then Will report back...

Hanb, goodness me woman! Go and do something more interesting than catching up with my last 4 months! Short version - finished the PhD and became Dr Cheery and am now working full time That's about it on the important stuff front

Just inspected the bank account... and transfered £23 of expenses to Patchwork Fund

Ooh, a mini explanation - as I said, I didn't want to get so used to a full time wage that I'd never be able to live without one again - so I'm aiming to save a decent portion of my income this year. The 'total savings' in my signature includes the Patchwork Fund (whch I'm also ekeping track of separately because it's fun ), the emergency fund, the holiday fund, and £1000 that I already saved to turn the house into a palace

I won't actually *have* £8150 at the end of the year, because I will inevitably have spent some of the holiday fund at least, and the palace fund - but as long as I've spent it on what I intended it for, then it stays in the total Not spending ANY of the patchwork fund

Ooh - and am going to grit my teeth tomorrow and splash out and pay for 12 weeks of Slimming World upfront - expensive, but I'll get 2 weeks free, and means I won't have an excuse to duck out

Happy new diary. Just one observation though....... I thought we were both having a chill out night with rockstar boyfriend and Mr C respectively???? I sneak a peak and a whole new diary is running away with me. I don't know! when me backs turned you all get busy
Seriously though - love the idea of a new thread and those goals are rather fabulous.

“

I'll feel like I'm cheating if I don't catch up

Has anything exciting and/or significant happened in the last 4 months I should be aware of? If it's you working far too much, drinking lots of tea and the odd cake then may get away with it..

ERM Cheery.............. think you better add that prefix to your name for people who have been absent and have no time to catch up.

Some days there aren't any trumpets, just lots of dragons. Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow -- Mary Anne Radmacher

I find you really inspirational as you do so much but spend so little. It makes me laugh when you berate yourself for spending £4 on something for yourself when I would be pleased that I had only spent £4 rather than the usual £20 or £30. Good for you for not being reliant on full time work. I'd love the option but I really cant' see it happening unless I manage to get a truly amazing part time job which probably doesn't exist!!!

And actually I don't mind my job and find it challenging and stretching but can totally empathise with your patchwork aims!

My friend was telling me today I should take a sabbatical and go travelling.....one of my future future goals!

Anyway back to 2011 and one of my goals for this year is to handmake all gifts. I've done ok so far (Easter was giant creme eggs for my sister and b-i-l, went down very well and knitted eggs and egg cosies and chicks for my nieces).

But I'm really struggling for Fathers day, the obvious is something to eat but my Dad is trying not to eat so much 'bad' stuff these days and is really cutting down and I don't want to scupper him too much.

So I need a homemade gift that isn't food for a Dad???? Any ideas???

I'm really struggling and the only thing I've come up with is etching something onto a beer glass like this beer glass and I've found this lovely coaster how-to but I'm worried about the way she specifies where to get your pictures copied......

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MoneySupermarket Group, but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally-binding MSE Editorial Code.